RIYADH: Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkiye, Qatar and the UAE have condemned continued restrictions imposed by Israel on Muslim and Christian worship in Jerusalem.
This includes the prevention of Muslim worshippers from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, as well as barring the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. The ministers reiterated their condemnation of, and rejection of, any Israeli attempts to alter the legal and historical status quo at Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
The ministers said the continued measures constituted a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and an infringement on the right of worshippers to access places of worship.
The ministers expressed their absolute rejection of what they described as illegal and restrictive measures affecting Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, including preventing Christians from freely accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to perform their religious rites. They stressed the need to uphold the existing legal and historical status quo at the city’s holy sites, reiterating that Israel, as the occupying power, holds no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem. They also called for an end to all measures that impede access to places of worship.
They further condemned the continued closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif to worshippers for 30 consecutive days, including during the holy month of Ramadan, saying this represented a serious violation of international law and Israel’s obligations as an occupying power. They warned that such measures risked escalating tensions and undermining regional and international peace and security.
The ministers reiterated that the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif area, spanning 144 dunams, is an exclusively Muslim place of worship. They added that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, under Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the sole authority responsible for administering the site and regulating access.
They called on Israel to immediately reopen the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif, lift access restrictions in Jerusalem’s Old City and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access. They also urged the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt what they described as ongoing violations and illegal practices affecting Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
